Air auxiliary supply means for internal-combustion engines



' T. A. EDISON, JR

AIR AUXILIARY SUPPLY MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 4, 1919 PatenteilA r. 24, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, 33., 0]? ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

AIR AUXILIARY SUPPLY MEANS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION Imemrs.

Application filed Hatch 4, 1919. Serial No. 280,526.

tion engines, and more especially to 1111- proved means for controlling the proportions of air and fuel in the combustible mixture supplied to such engines.

The principal object ofmy lnventlon 1s to provide in an internal combustlonengine, a simple, eflicient and novel construction and arrangement whereby, under practlcally all conditions of use and operatlon of the engine, less fuel will be required for a given power.

More particularly, my invention res des in improved means comprising an auxiliary air inlet and proportioning device operating on novel principles, whereby the best an most economical fuel mixture will be supplied to the engine at all speeds thereof and under all other conditions of operation.

A further object of my invention is to prevent the emission of flames from the air inlet of the carburetor in case the engine backfires, preferably by the means for controlling the proportions of air and fuel in the fuel mixture supplied to the engine,

whereby danger of fires taking place isgreatly lessened.

My invention also resides in a simple and inexpensive device which may be made as an attachment capable of being readily applied to internal combustion engines in use for attaining the objects described above.

Further objects and features of my invention will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is directed to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of a carburetor and intake of an internal combustion engine, showing a preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation, looking from the left in Figure 1, the carburetor being ommitted; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged part sectional view on line 33 of Figure l, with the air inlet valve member or meteringv pin omitted.

Referring to the drawing, reference character 1 represents a carburetor of conventional type, provided with the usual needle valve (not shown) for controllin the fuel inlet to the carburetor and whic may be adjusted by means of a handle A. The outlet of the carburetor is connected in the usual manner to a fuel supply conduit or intake pipe 2 comprising a part of the manifold of the internal combustion engine, com:

munieation between the carburetor and the intake 2 beingcontrolled through a lever 3 which operates the usual throttle or butterfly valve (not shown). Detachably secured to the main air inlet 4. of the carburetor in a horizontal position is a short cylindrical tubular member 5 forming a continuation of such inlet. The member 5 has a reduced end portion 6 provided with longitudinal slits buretor is provided with a set screw 8 andthe member 5 with a hole engageable by said set screw, said set screw and openin constituting means for insuring the attac ment of member 5 to inlet 4 in such a position that lug 7 will extend downwardly from member'5 with the axis of the opening therethrough vertical. A short vertical tube 9 is threaded into the tapped opening in the lug 7 so that its upper end projects slightly into the passageway of the tubular member 5, and the lower end thereof is suitably secured as by a threaded connection to one end of a pipe or conduit 10, the other end of such pipe communicating with the interior of the intake 2 through a hollow lug 11 provided on the intake, with which it has a threaded connection.

The tube 9 has a cylindrical passageway or opening extending therethrough, the upper portion of which is enlarged, as shown at 12. and the lower portion reduced as at 13. The wall of the passageway in tube 9 between the portions 12 and 13 of the opening therethrough is formed with a. valve seat 14. Reference character 15 represents an air inlet valve member which'is mounted in tube 9 for reciprocatory or sliding movement therein and which is provided intermediate its ends with a portion 16 which conforms to and is adapted to engage the valve seat 14. Below the portion 16 the member 15 is provided with a long conical portion or needle valve 17, while above the same it is formed with a long cylindrical enlarged portion 18 which fits closely within the enlarged portion 12 of the opening through tube 9 and extends some distance above the upper end of the latter into the tubular member 5 when the portion 16 of the valve member engages the valve seat 14. Between the portions 16 and 18, the valve member 15 is formed with a short cylindrical reduced section 19 so as to provide an annular chamber 20 between the wall of the tube 9 and the valve member 15. The tube 9 is provided with a horizontal slot 21 extending therethrough and communicating with the annular chamber 20. The slot 21 is formed in the bottom wall of a horizontal annular groove 22 in tube 9, and a resilient split ring 23 is adjustably mounted in such groove for the purpose of regulating the efi'ective opening of said slot. The outer edge of the split ring is preferably knurled to facilitate its adjustment. Valve member 15 is-provided centrally thereof with a long vertical slot 24 extending downwardly from its upper end; and pivotally mounted on the upper end of pin 15 by means of a pin 25 is a member 26 comprising a flat cam 27 vertically disposed in the slot 24 and through which thepivot pin 25 extends, and a fiat blade 28 disposed at right angles to the cam. Member 26 is preferably integrally formed as by casting the same from a suitable metal such as brass. Reference character 29 represents a cotter pin which is inserted through horizontal openings provided therefor at diametrically opposite points in the tube 9 just below the upper threaded. end portion thereof, and also through the slot 24 of valve member 15 within tube 9. The cotter pin 29 has a deflected head 30 which, when the pin is inserted in the roper position as .shown, takes into a longitudinal slot 31 formed on the lower side of tubular member 5 .and extending inwardly from the outer end thereof. The cotter pin 29 has several functions, namely: It coacts with the lower end wall of slot 24 to limit the upward movement of valve member 15 in the tube 9; it prevents relative turning movement of valve member 15 in tube 9; it co-operates with slot 31 to lock tube 9 and thereby member 15 and the parts carried thereby against turning movement with respect to tubular member 5; and it insures the application of tube 9 to tubular member 5 in such position that the slot 24 in member 15 and the cam 27 of member 26 will be parallel to the axis of the tubular member 5.

When the engine is not in operation, gravity holds the member 15 in its lowermost position, as shown in Figure 1, with the portion 16 thereof in engagement with the valve seat 14, thus closing thepassageway in tube 9. Member 26 and the cam 27 comprising a part thereof are so formed and mounted on pivot pin 25 in such a manner that when the member 15 is in this position, the edge ofvcam 27 is in engagement with the upper end of tube 9 with the point in the edge of the cam substantially midway between the ends thereof and nearest the pivot pin 25 disposed vertically below such pin. The fiat blade 28 which is preferably formed on member 26 to oneside of the opening for the pivot pin 25, then stands upright in the passageway of tubular member 5 and normal to the axis thereof.

The portions of the edges of cam 27 between the point immediately below pin 25 (referring to Figure 1) and either end of such cam are preferably similar in shape and symmetrical and so formed that the distance from pin 25 to the edge of the cam constantly increases from this point towards said ends. It will therefore be apparent that if member 26 is moved about pin 25 in either direction from the position in which it is shown, cam 27 will coact with the upper end of tube 9 to raise pin 25 and thereby the valve member 15 an amount dependent on such movement of the member 26. As member 15 is raised, additional air will be admitted through slot 21, chamber 20, then past needle valve 17, and through the reduced lower portion 13 of the passageway in pipe 9 and pipe 10 into the intake 2 for admixture with the fuel mixture in the latter, and the amount of air so admitted will obviously be greater, the greater the distance member 15 is moved upwardly. It will be evident that air entering the carburetor 1 through the main air inlet 4, 5 thereof will strike against blade 28 and have a tendency to move member 26 about pin 25 to the right (referring to Figure 1) and thereby increase the effective area of such inlet and raise member 15 in tube 9, and that this tendency will increase with the increase of velocity of the air. On the other hand, such movements of the members 15 and 26 will be resisted or opposed by any vacuum which may be present in the intake 2, which will exert an action dependent on the amount thereof tending to hold the valve member 15 in its lowermost position with the portion 16 thereof in engagement with the valve seat 14, 7

velocity of the air in the main air inlet of the carburetor and the vacuum in the intake 2 in such positions as to insure the adm ssion oi the proper amount of additional air to the fuel mixture in the intake 2 and the best and most economical proportions of air in such mixture under all normal conditions of operation of the engine.

In order to illustrate the operation of my invention, I will describe its action under widely different conditions, as follows (1) In starting the engine and when the same is in operation with the throttlevalve open only a small amount, the fuel mixture should be rich in gasolene. Under such conditions, the vacuum produced in the intake is comparatively high and acts to hold or retain valve member 15 in its lowermost or closed position, and member 26 in such position that the blade 28 will stand upright in the tubular member 5. Accordingly, no additional air will be admitted to the intake 2, and furthermore, the efl'ective area of the main'air inlet of the carburetor 1 'will be reduced to a minimum by reason of the position of blade 28 and but a' comparatively small amount of air will enter the carburetor for admixture with the fuel.

'(2) When the engine is operating at high speed, the fuel mixture should be lean, that is,- it should contain a less proportion of fuel and a higher proportion of air. When the engine operates at high speeds, the air will enter or be drawn into the carburetor l'through the inlet 4, 5 at such a great velocity that it will, on striking the blade 28,

overcome the tendency which any, vacuum produced in the intake 2 has to hold-member 15 in its lowermost position, and move the member 26 about pivot pin 25, thereby increasing the effective area of the airinlet 4, 5 of the carburetor, and raise the member 15 in tube 9. The amounts blade 28 is moved ordefiected from upright position and valve member 15 is raised, and accordingly, the efiective area of the main air inlet 4.5 of the carburetor 1 and the mount of additional air admitted to intake 2, will,

- of course, depend on the relation between the velocity of theair entering the carburetor and the vacuum in the intake.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1; it is necessary that the engine attain a considerable speed before air will be drawn into the carburetor 1 through inlet 4, 5 at a velocity siifiicient to overcome the tendency which the vacuum in intake 2 has to hold All parts of the additional air inlet and roportioning device should be very careully made and proportioned in order to obtain the desired results. The shape and size of blade 28 and cam 27 are especiall important. In the case of blade 28, I fin that the best results are obtained by making the same substantially of the shape shown and of a size substantially equal to one-half the cross sectional area of the opening in tubular member 5. The cam 27 should be so shaped as to efiect upward movement of valve member 15 an amount which will constantly increase in a definite ratio for a uniform movement of the blade 28' about pivot pin 25 from a vertical towards a horizontal position.

Another improved result obtained by my invention is that it prevents flame being expelled from the main air inlet of the carburetor whenever the engine backfires. I have purposely and repeatedly caused engines equipped with my invention to backfire, but have been unable to obtain the emission or expulsion of any flame whatever from the air inlet of the carburetor. I am not certain of the reason for this, but my theory is that when a backfire occurs, the air present in the intake and carburetor will he suddenly. expelled thereby and in advance of the fire at great velocity from the' a sufficient quantity of additional air will immediately be admitted to the intake 2 to cause complete combustion of the burning mixture to take place in the manifold.

J-The action of the device shown may be nicely regulated to adapt the same to different conditions of use by adjusting the split ring 23 to regulate the efi'ective area of the slot 21 in tube 9. When once properly adjusted, however, no further adjustment of this ring is usually necessary in order to obtain the desired results.

The device comprising tubular member 5, tube 9, valve member 15, ring 23, member 26, cotter pin 29. and pipe 10, may be made as, a cheap and simple attachment capable of being readily and quickly applied to internal combustion engines in use.

-;While I have describedthe preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is subject to various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. The combination of a carburetor of an internal combustion engine, the fuel supply conduit leading therefrom, a throttle valve controlling communication between the carburetor and suppl conduit, and a device comprising a mem er movably mounted in the primary air inlet of the carburetor and controlled by the velocity of the air entering said primary air inlet for controlling both the effective area of such inlet and the supplying of additional air to the fuel mixture in said supply conduit at a point on the enginc side of said throttle, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a carburetor of an internal combustion engine, the fuel supply conduit leading therefrom and provided with an auxiliary air inlet having a valve seat, and a device comprising a valve member movable with respect to said seat for controlling the admission of air through said the main air inlet of the carburetor and movable therein to control the effective area thereof, either of said members being adapted by movement thereof to effect movement of the other member, and said device being arranged to be maintained in balanced position by the effect of the air entering the carbureter on the member in said main air inlet and by the effect of the vacuum in the fuel supply conduit on said valve, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 3rd day of March 1919.

THOMAS A. EDISON,

Witnesses:

JESSIE E. STALKER, WILLIAM A. HARDY. 

